Domesticity
by truetabularasa
Summary: The domestic life with Rose Tyler and her Doctor in the parallel world. Spoilers for series 4.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Never have, never will.  
I wrote this quite a while ago, but I was debating on whether to post it on this site for the longest time. It will become a full fledged story, although it does sort of read like a one shot in this chapter. I have a plan on where I'm going to go.**

* * *

Rose watched the Doctor disappear from her life for the second time, but this time, she didn't sob her heart out. She merely stood, holding the hand of the man whom she now had no doubt was the same man. A small part of her was hurt that he didn't even say good bye, but it was miniscule.

Jackie wandered over to the silent pair. "Right, I've phoned Pete, and he's agreed to pick us up. Now, all we have to do is wait." She glanced at the Doctor. "Is he coming home with us?"

Rose looked away from the empty space ahead of her and saw that the Doctor was staring at her intently. Breaking the gaze, Rose turned to her mum. "Yeah, he's coming with us."

"He can have Mickey's old room," Jackie decided. She turned away to give the couple some privacy and wait expectantly for her husband. "You can explain him to Pete, young lady," she called over her shoulder.

Rose groaned. It had been hard enough explaining the appearance of Jackie and Rose in this universe. If this kept up, the Tyler family would have to relocate.

"What are you going to tell him?" The Doctor asked, sounding both hesitant and amused. It was the first time that he had spoken since whispering those sacred words in Rose's ear, and the sound of his voice startled her.

"What? Oh. The truth," she said quickly. "He can handle it. Torchwood can, too. The rest of the world, however…" she trailed off with a sigh. The Doctor opened his mouth to say something, but Rose had a feeling what he was about to say, and she cut him off. "I'll do the talking. You just stand there and look charming."

The Doctor looked visibly affronted. "But-" he began. Rose cut him off again.

"If you had a bit of Sarah Jane or Martha Jones in you, then maybe. But you've got Donna Noble in you, and the Doctor plus Donna is a catastrophe waiting to happen. They're the two noisiest creatures in that universe," Rose explained, a small smile playing on her lips.

The Doctor grinned. It wasn't the usual manic grin that Rose knew his face could contain, but it was a start. "Fair enough," he grinned. Rose returned the grin. Tentatively, the Doctor released Rose's hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead. He was a little nervous. Rose hadn't seemed overjoyed at being left with a broken, angry man, but, then again, it had been _him _she had kissed, not the other man whom she had fixed. The Doctor was delighted when Rose leaned into his embrace. When she rested her head on his shoulder, he tightened his arm.

The two of them stared across the water with Jackie Tyler. It was Rose who broke the silence in a quiet voice. "Why did he have to drop us off in Norway? The least he could've done was drop us off across the water."

"Not without causing the universes to collapse…again," The Doctor told her. "The gap in the Void came out in this very spot two years ago, so, naturally, this was the safest bet. It's just a little bit weaker than 

the rest of the universe," he paused. "He also thought that it was a, shall I say, _romantic _choice, this being the last you saw him."

Rose was silent. She feared that if she spoke, she would dissolve into tears. It was stupid to dwell on past events when nothing could be changed. After the first time she had parted with the Doctor, Rose had taken two weeks to figure that out. The Doctor didn't want her to mope around feeling sorry for herself; he wanted her to get out there and live her life.

Davros was wrong; the Doctor didn't give people death; he gave them life. Because of him, the "Children of Time" knew of the wonders of the universe. They were better for it, and the Doctor had drawn them all together. Sarah Jane Smith had her son; Martha Jones had a fiancé; Captain Jack Harkness had Torchwood; Mickey Smith got his gran, and, when she was taken, he was given another chance; Jackie Tyler had her husband back and a little boy. As far as Rose Marion Tyler was concerned, she got the best deal – the Doctor. She knew that he was essentially the same man, and, given time, she could accept that.

* * *

The wait wasn't as long as Rose had anticipated. Within an hour, a van had arrived to pick them up. Pete Tyler was well renowned on both the Torchwood front and on the Vitex front. One of his Norwegian contacts picked them up and dropped them off at a rather fancy hotel. Jackie got them three rooms on credit. Despite her previous words from so long ago, Jackie Tyler _did _care about the money.

When Rose and the Doctor had complained about the separation, Jackie flew into a fit of rage.

"You two have been separated for two bloody years!" she raged. "If you think I'm going to have my daughter spend the night _alone _with an alien that's been deprived of sex for god knows how many years, then you've got another thing coming, mister!"

"Mum, I told you – it's not like that," Rose mumbled, feeling all the stares that they were getting.

"Then what do you call that little moment on the beach?" Jackie demanded.

Rose sighed and didn't answer. She knew a lost cause when she saw one.

The Doctor, less than tactfully, put in, "But – if you separate us for longer, wouldn't it make the results worse when we finally do find ourselves alone?"

Jackie slapped the Doctor – hard. "Who says I'll ever let you be alone with her?"

The Doctor, too, knew a lost cause, but he did not know how to give up. "But –" Jackie raised her hand threateningly, and he ducked away with a yelp.

Rose gave the Doctor an apologetic grin and rushed off to her room.

* * *

Much later, Rose stepped onto the balcony clad in a terrycloth robe. It was a clear night, and the stars were out – all back in their proper place. Vaguely, Rose wondered if the world even remembered the dire crisis that it had once undergone.

A breeze lifted her hair, still damp from her shower, and Rose looked to the sky. She wondered what new adventures the Doctor and Donna were embarking on at this very moment. Glancing toward the room that contained her Doctor, Rose whispered into the night, "Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much for a second chance."


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I am, like, in shock after the response this story has received. I never expected it to be this popular. Thank you so much. The following takes place a few days after the first chapter.**

* * *

All in all, it took the family unit four days to return to London. When Pete arrived at Norway to pick them up (after much PDA between Pete and Jackie, much to the Doctor's disgust), he took the news of the new addition to the family and how he came to be surprisingly well. In her two year stay on the parallel Earth, Rose had come to find that Pete was the more level-headed of the couple.

Although, he shared his wife's beliefs regarding Rose and the Doctor's sleeping arrangements. "That's why me and Mickey moved to the other side of the mansion," Rose quipped before taking the Doctor's hand and leading him up the winding staircase. The few stationary days in Norway had seen the Doctor and Rose growing closer. Their relationship had returned to what it had been so long ago.

"So, were you and Mickey getting it on, then?" The Doctor asked, hoping he didn't sound as anxious as he felt.

Rose snorted. "Hardly." She glanced behind her, and when she saw that no one was close, Rose whispered, "It's Mum and Dad. The noise," Rose shuddered, wrinkling her nose in the adorable way that the Doctor had always loved.

Rose pushed open the first door on her left. "Here we are. Your new room; Mickey's old room," she announced before grimacing at the mess that Mickey had left behind. It reminded her of when Mickey had first left Rose for a parallel world. Rose and the Doctor had stayed at Jackie's flat for a few days, and the Doctor had helped his best friend clear out the home of her childhood friend. He had left the place a mess. The Doctor had commented on it, delighted when he had prompted a wet, yet genuine, laugh from Rose.

"He really can't leave any universe cleanly, can he?" The Doctor asked, voicing Rose's thoughts.

Rose laughed. "I'll help you clean up," she said, bending to examine a box that, unless he was mistaken, was full of alien artefacts.

"Did he get that from work?" The Doctor asked, plopping down on the mostly empty bed and pulling Rose down to sit beside him.

"Yeah," Rose said, handing the box to the Doctor. "Completely against the rules, of course."

"Since when are you one for rules?" The Doctor asked, looking at Rose in surprise.

"Since never. Torchwood has a rule that says that we're not allowed to take the alien 'toys' from work; nobody listens."

"Ah," the Doctor stated, his familiar grin returning to his face. He began rifling through the box in his hands, looking through the bits and bobs that Mickey had obtained over the years. They continued like this in silence for several minutes: him rifling through Mickey's alien objects, her rifling through everything else. A thought occurred to the Doctor. "Rose?"

"Hm?" Rose replied distractedly as she emptied Mickey's drawers, contemplating on whether or not she should be wearing gloves for this dangerous task.

"Where are all the staff?" Last time I was here, the Tylers had a whole ensemble working for them."

Rose pulled a drawer out of the wardrobe and dumped all the contents on the floor. "I think they were all killed when the Cybermen invaded. I guess Dad didn't see the point of a staff when he was the only one here, and Mum refused point blank to get any help."

"And what about you?"

Rose shuddered. "I'd go spare if we had a staff."

"No, I meant, what have you been doing with yourself?" The Doctor clarified.

"Torchwood. I thought that would have been obvious from the 'Dalek Destroyer' that I had with me. I never did get that back," she mused.

"'Dalek Destroyer?'" the Doctor laughed.

"Mickey christened it after Toshiko presented us with the 'Laser Cannon Triple-' something or other," Rose replied seriously, although the corners of her mouth turned up a bit.

"Ah, so a bit of clever alliteration on Mickey's part, then?"

"A bit, yeah."

Rose continued cleaning up Mickey's old room, and the Doctor continued being less than helpful. The Doctor was wondering if Rose was happy to be with him, and Rose was wondering what the Doctor was truly thinking. Their thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected knock on the open door.

"Jake!" Rose's cry was very joyful, and she leaped over dirty clothes and other belongings of Mickey's to give the man in question a hug. Despite having an originally neutral attitude towards each other, the two had gotten to be close friends over the past two years. Jake had never pretended to know what Rose was going through, and he was always willing to listen when Rose had needed an unbiased ear.

"So, I must say I'm surprised to see you again," Jake greeted, although his tone didn't indicate any regret.

"Change of plans," Rose said, with the merest glance in the Doctor's direction.

"You're still…him?" Jake addressed the Doctor.

"Still me," the Doctor replied cheerfully. "Pete fill you in on the gory details, did he?"

"He gave me a general overview," Jake conceded.

"Why are you here, Jake?" Rose asked.

"Babysitting duties."

"Of course."

Jake glanced around the room. "He's really gone, then?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah."

"Need help cleaning it up?"

They worked in silence for a while until Jackie called them down for dinner via the intercom. "Oi! You lot! Dinner! Don't make us wait!"

"Step up from the Estate," the Doctor gasped after making sure that his single heart hadn't failed him.

"You'll have to get used to that, I'm afraid," Rose informed him as they descended the stairs. "Mum loves the intercom; she thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread."

* * *

After dinner, the Doctor had a manly (and very _human_) conversation with Pete in his office while Rose and Jake entertained little Tony and Jackie cleared up. The Doctor left the office looking cheery, and Pete looked harried. Rose got the Doctor settled, and, after a lingering hug and a brief, slightly awkward kiss, she made to leave for her room.

"Where's your room?" The Doctor called after her.

Rose grinned cheekily. "Why don't you have a look around your room, Doctor?" With that, she left.

She had just gotten herself settled and was reading a magazine when her wardrobe door opened, and the Doctor stumbled out.

"Bit like Narnia, isn't it?" she asked, automatically making room for the Doctor on her bed.

The Doctor gaped at her incredulously before plopping himself beside Rose. "You knew I'd find that secret passageway, didn't you?"

"You took about two minutes longer than I'd expected," Rose confirmed.

"So, is there any particular reason why there's a super, secret corridor connecting our rooms?"

"Not really," Rose shrugged. "Dad said that those kinds of passages were built after the Cybermen invaded. I found the most…_random_… one from the library to the loo last month."

"What were _you, _of all people, doing in the library?" The Doctor grinned.

"Oi!" Rose whacked him playfully on the head with her magazine.

The Doctor flopped onto his side and put his head on his hand, regarding Rose seriously. "I never asked you: are you okay with Pete being your father?"

Rose mirrored the Doctor's position. "I am now."

"But you weren't at first?"

"I was angry and upset for a long time. All I'd wanted for so long was for my family to be together. Then, I met you, and my perspective changed a little. I still wanted my family, but I wanted to be with you, too. Apparently, I wasn't allowed both."

The Doctor didn't say anything. He tucked a strand of hair behind Rose's ear, and she took his hand.

"And now?" he asked finally.

"Things have changed, haven't they?" Rose asked rhetorically.

They fell into a comfortable silence. The Doctor silently surveyed the room. It was less pink than her old room on the Estate (or even the TARDIS) had been, but it was still essentially _Rose. _A vanity table stood in one corner, cluttered with various beauty products. The floor was littered with magazines. In front of Rose's open wardrobe, the floor was covered with shirts, skirts, and shoes that had fallen out when the Doctor had tumbled through the passageway.

Rose was distractedly playing with the Doctor's fingers. "Do you play the piano?" she asked randomly.

The Doctor tore his eyes from a picture on her nightstand to stare at one of the objects of said photo. "_What?" _he laughed.

"You have piano hands," Rose shrugged. "It would be a shame not to put them to good use."

"I've been known to play in my time."

"I knew it!" Rose grinned. "Mum tried to get me to take lessons when I was small. Didn't take." She sighed. "I guess Tony'll be forced through them, too."

"He seems like a good kid," the Doctor pointed out.

"He's adorable," Rose agreed.

"I got the impression that Pete wanted to raise you like he's raising his son."

"It's always nice to know that my father is talking about me behind my back," Rose said mildly. "What else did you big, important men discuss?"

There was a pause. "He wants me to work at Torchwood."

Rose froze. "Oh? What did you say?"

"Well, I said yes, didn't I? He's gonna give me a new identity and everything." The Doctor didn't sound particularly pleased.

"You'll always be 'the Doctor' in my eyes," Rose assured him.

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

* * *

**Two things. One, I just had to do the 'Doctor 2 works at Torchwood' cliché, and two, that rhyme towards the end was, in fact, intentional.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it's taken so long. I promise, I'm going to start getting a chapter out a week.**

The next morning, Rose awoke alone. After collecting her thoughts and remembering precisely why she was in the mansion as opposed to the TARDIS, Rose swung her legs off of the bed and made her way to the kitchen, where she was surprised to find the Doctor, Tony, and Jackie being perfectly gracious towards one another. Tony, the ever observant two year old, noticed Rose's sleepy entrance immediately.

"Rose!" he exclaimed in that adorable way that every two year old had. Rose smiled. The Doctor turned to Rose eagerly, sending her his "Rose Only" grin (patent pending).

"Morning, sweetheart," Jackie greeted from the stove.

"Where's Dad?" Rose took a seat across from the Doctor.

"Oh, he went in early. Had some work to do in the aftermath of that bloody business we were involved in. He also had to get the Doctor situated legally. And you, young lady," Jackie placed a mug of tea in front of her daughter, "are not to return to work for a week. Give everyone there time to calm down. Let your father handle the explanations for once."

"Yes, Ma'am," Rose teased before turning to the Doctor. "Guess what we're doing today?"

"What?" The Doctor asked, quirking an eyebrow at her teasing grin.

"We're going shopping," Rose grinned as the Doctor's face fell comically at the thought of shopping. "For clothes," Rose added, enjoying the Doctor's expression. It was so _him. _

"What's wrong with my suit?" He demanded.

"It's blue," Rose explained, wrinkling her nose. By her expression, it was clear to both the Doctor and Jackie what Rose thought of his choice of clothing.

"I'm taking Tony grocery shopping today, Rose," Jackie told her.

Rose sighed. "Is that you politely asking me for a ride?" Jackie's silence was enough of an answer. "Mum, I really don't understand why you won't drive."

"Now, listen, young lady. Just because _you _felt the need to drive once we got here doesn't mean that the whole family has to conform!"

Rose rolled her eyes. This argument was one that they had had before many times. Jackie felt that Rose had gotten too spoiled in her travels with the Doctor. She hadn't fully approved of Rose's decision to work at Torchwood. At the same time, she had understood her daughter's need to do something more with her life.

The Doctor looked between mother and daughter, amused. Outside, Rose unlocked a car that she had thought she had left behind forever. Jackie rode in the passenger seat, and the Doctor cheerfully parked himself in the backseat, happy to let someone else do the navigating for a change.

Rose steered them towards this universe's version of Henrik's.

"Ah, Henrik's!" The Doctor exclaimed joyfully. "I remember this place. Remember, Rose?"

As if she could forget. "Yeah. I used to work there. You blew it up, remember?" Rose smiled sweetly, and the Doctor looked _almost _apologetic.

Jackie thought it was in everyone's best interests if she kept her mouth shut. For a change.

"Right, you lot," she addressed both her daughter and the Doctor, but mostly her daughter, "I have to pop over to Children's Wear. I trust that you can find your way around, Rose?"

Rose mock-saluted. "Yes, Ma'am."

Jackie rolled her eyes at her daughter's cheekiness and walked away. Rose took the Doctor's hand and led him into the Men's Wear department.

"Miss Tyler?" A hesitant voice behind her spoke. Rose turned and recognized Stanley, one of the regulars at Henrik's. Pete Tyler had already been a well-known businessman with his Vitex propaganda before the Cybermen invasion. After the invasion, he had become Head of Torchwood, simultaneously achieving celebrity status. His wife and not-quite daughter had suffered months in the tabloids after their mysterious appearance. Rose, in particular, had received a lot of attention. After all, she was the long-lost Vitex heiress who just so happened to be a Torchwood field agent. Even when the stars had gone out and everybody had been panicking, the press had still found time to report on how Rose Tyler would save the world.

Rose smiled at Stanley. "Hey, Stanley, I need some help. My friend," she indicated the Doctor, "lost all his possessions in a freak storm, and, well, he's staying with me for the time being, but he needs a new wardrobe rather badly."

Stanley, Rose had come to find out within her two years in this universe, was very empathetic towards others. He gasped in horror at Rose's tale. "How awful! Was it just your home that was destroyed?"

Rose looked to the Doctor, who answered, "Yep. A freak storm cloud hovered over my humble abode until everything I knew burned. I barely escaped with my life and winsome good looks."

When Stanley took the Doctor's story seriously, the Doctor looked to Rose, who shrugged. There would be plenty of time to explain the gullible nature of the people from this universe later.

Stanley immediately took the Doctor around the shop, throwing clothes his way and constantly asking Rose's opinion. When Rose suggested a suit or two, the Doctor vehemently disagreed. Rose didn't know whether or not to be disappointed or relieved. She didn't know if she'd be able to look at him day after day in the same pinstriped suit, but the Doctor without his suit was just _wrong._

The Doctor emerged from the dressing room he had been lurking in, and, disregarding Stanley's opinion, turned to Rose. Their eyes met.

And Rose beamed.


	4. Important! Read

This is for everyone that is still sticking by this story. I know it's been forever since I updated, and it's been a while since I last stated that I had plans to update it soon. Rest assured, I'm not abandoning it, but the next update will be a while.

Here's what happened: I dug myself into a hole, and I couldn't get out. I started writing _Domesticity _with no plan, and I'm quickly coming to realize that 'no plan' doesn't cut it with this story. And anyway, I felt like my characterization was terribly off.

I know that a lot of you appreciate the no angst take on Journey's End, but I still feel like I should have added just a bit more. So, over the past week, I've been writing a timeline, so this story has a basic structure now, and I know where I'm going with it.

This story is very important to me, and I want to get it right. I don't write angst well, so this story will mainly be fluff, but, lately, I've been trying to push myself as a writer (or committing "writer's suicide" you tell me), and I do want to do some angst in this story. However, I find myself terribly annoyed by "ZOMG! You're not the DOCTAAAAAR!" Angst, so it'll still be glossed over, but I feel like, in the original draft, it was glossed over _too much. _

I started chapter one today, and it's coming along well. I'll still wait 'til I have a couple other chapters written before posting. Real life has been taking over, but, as I said, this story is very important to me, and I want to complete it.

Also, I am in dire need of a beta or two (or three; I'm not picky). I don't really need help with grammar (but feel free to correct me). I mainly need help with Britpicking, seeing as how I am not British. Woe. And characterization. I don't always feel like I've got a handle on the characters. Sometimes I do, but I don't know if I just have an aversion to my writing or if I really need help on that. I know procedure is to normally go, as I call it, "Beta hunting," but I prefer to be betaed by someone who knows the story, sort of. I'll go beta hunting if I have to, but I'd prefer if a couple of you would e-mail me (review this, whatever) and tell me if you're interested.

Also, soon, this story will be deleted, seeing as how I'm re-writing it, so I recommend you put me on Author Alert if you want some assurance of finding this story again. The title will remain the same. This is my only WIP (except for some parody that I update when I feel like it, which is never), so you don't need to worry about being bombarded with annoying e-mails everyday for stories you don't care about. I will have a new work in progress, but that doesn't start production until next week. _Domesticity _takes top priority.

**In summary: **I need a beta. Contact me if interested. Add me to Author Alert so you don't lose this story. I can't even write short author's notes. Hee.

This message will only stay up for a week(ish) before the story is taken down completely, but the note will remain on my profile.

Live long and prosper. Or something.


End file.
